Letter to Me

I won’t try to hide it. I’ve been a little discouraged, a little tired of persevering with my blog, my writing, my Facebook page, and Twitter. Sometimes, it gets pretty hard to keep on going, to keep on shooting at the goal, and taking that one step forward. I know it’s worth it, but it’s tiring. But today, I came across this letter that I wrote to myself and I found it rather fitting for my weary heart.

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Dear Sierra,

Life is a run. It really is. You aren’t racing anyone and they aren’t racing you. But sometimes, you need to slow down. You need to sit on the sidelines. You need to let your body rest. Sometimes, you need to wait for your friend that’s running behind you. Some days, you need to link arms with several runners just to let them know that you understand. That all of you are in this life together.

Some days you will even want to give up. You will want to pack up and leave. The urge to throw your running shoes in the air overwhelms you. You may even yell at others to give up too. But don’t. You only get to run this track once. Take it slow, but take it right. When you are sweating pain, and the consistent ache in your body pulls you down–you can stop running. But don’t stop living.

When that person purposefully trips you, don’t trip them back. When you find yourself on the ground, take a pause–but don’t linger. Just calmly get back up and keep running. And, when you pass that person again, offer a word of encouragement. They need it, just like you do.

So, your shoes are wearing out. Well, that means that this stage of the race is almost over. But it’s not over yet. You can’t change shoes until it’s time. You are still in these shoes, so keep running.

Don’t freak out when they come untied. That means you are running hard and sometimes life unties, but take the time to tie it back up. Take the time to pull yourself together, so you can keep running with life. The track isn’t going to stop for you. Tie those shoes and keep on going.

Ah, so you can’t see what’s in front of you. Well, you were never made to see the end. Actually, you will never see the end while you are running. Don’t try. It will stress you out. And knowing you, that isn’t hard to do.

If you have to, just look at the ground in front of you. But never underestimate the power of helping others. You will be energized by helping them and looking ahead will lose its importance. After all, they are running beside you for a reason. Don’t ignore them.

And now you can’t breathe. Don’t panic. Stop. If that means letting others run ahead of you, fine. Don’t worry about keeping up. If you aren’t breathing, then you need to adjust your speed. Sometimes, that happens in life and that is OK. Your body wasn’t made to handle everything that they can do. God gave you this stamina.

Always do your best, but when your best comes out worse,  then you know you are trying too hard. Know your body’s limitations and don’t be intimidated by the people who judge you. You know the truth and God knows the truth. That is all that matters.

Don’t be jealous of the runner ahead of you and don’t look at them and assume their run is easy. It isn’t. They have a different track then yours. Different obstacles. Pray for them. They need it just like you.

I see that you just fell. Well, sitting on the ground isn’t going to help you at all. Stop moping. You’ve been known to do that. Get back up. You were meant to run. That means asking for forgiveness. That means loving. That means moving on. The ground isn’t going to do the work for you. You know what to do. Do it.

The best part about this track is that there is a finish line. Maybe you will see it tomorrow, maybe tonight, or maybe in 75 years. The point is that there is a finish line. Remember Who created your racetrack? Well, He’s waiting for you at the finish line. If that doesn’t give you energy then I don’t know what else will!

He knows every little bit of track that your running and He loves you. Even when you want to give up, even when you ignore Him. Don’t run for other people, run for Him. Nothing is more satisfying than running for Him. Some days it won’t feel like that. Feelings have a tendency to lie. Don’t live by feelings, live by truth. And the truth is that you are going to meet Him at the finish line.

So, keep on running, Sierra.

Keep on running.

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